CWC23: South Africa win toss, opt to bowl in overcast conditions against Netherlands
October 17, 2023 02:57 pm
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to bowl against the Netherlands at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, India.
Although no overs have been lost, the toss witnessed a delay of over an hour.
Meanwhile, both sides have made one change each as Gerald Coetzee replaces Tabraiz Shamsi in Proteas playing XI. Logan van Beek, who missed the previous encounter due to hamstring, returns to Netherlands’ playing XI in place of Ryan Klein.
After displaying tremendous form, Temba Bavuma-led South Africa will look to keep their winning run intact. The Proteas have secured resounding victories in the two matches they’ve played so far, thus making their net run-rate (NRR) most superior among the ten teams. Netherlands, on the other hand, are yet to open their account and will hope for an upset like they did in the T20 World Cup last year.
South Africa’s biggest takeaway from both their matches has been their batting. They started the tournament by amassing over 400 runs against Sri Lanka and comfortably breached the 300-run mark against Australia.
The bowlers too have made significant contributions, especially in the match against Australia, who could only manage 177 before running out of wickets.
The Netherlands will look to take some inspiration from Afghanistan, who stunned defending champions England on Sunday.
However, the biggest concern remains the weather forecast for Tuesday, which indicates rainfall in patches at Dharamsala.
